The Massachusetts Bar Association announces the formation of the
Task Force on Peremptory Challenges to study the history of such
challenges in selecting juries and the implications of their use in
the state courts. Peremptory challenges can be made by either
side in a criminal or civil case to help choose a jury
without stating a reason, except where an impermissible bias (such
as racial or gender bias) may be inferred. The task force will
issue a report of its findings next spring.

The MBA consulted key groups in the formation of the task force,
including the American Board of Trial Advocates, the Massachusetts
State Committee of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the
Boston Bar Association, the Committee for Public Counsel Services,
the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys, the Massachusetts
Defense Lawyers Association and the Worcester County Bar
Association.

Click here for more information on the Task
Force on Peremptory Challenges and its members.

Who to follow on Twitter

The MBA and hundreds of other lawyers and legal organizations now available

Visit www.massbar.org/twitter and get up-to-date
information on MBA CLE programs and conferences, legislative
activities and events. In addition, the MBA will post daily legal
headlines and published e-Journal and Lawyers
Journal articles.

NOTE: The MBA
encourages its members to post MBA news to Twitter
using their own Twitter accounts, and to re-tweet MBA news
posted
under the "massbar" name.

Law Practice Management Tip of the Week

Need help creating a budget?

Long term financial success requires planning and knowledge
based upon an analysis of both firm and personal financial
information. A good starting point for any attorney is to develop a
personal home budget based upon actual income and expenses. This
personal budget will provide a key tool for evaluating both your
bottom line income needs, and also will help you identify excess
spending. A key to developing a successful budget is accurate
information that reflects the economic reality based on a careful
analysis of historic spending and income. This is critical because
we all tend to underestimate our spending and overestimate our
income. Here are several tools for creating a realistic budget.

A first option is to use Microsoft Excel or other spreadsheet
program which all have free templates which can be used to create a
personal budget. For example, Microsoft personal budget templates
may be found at the Microsoft site. To populate the critical
information you will do an analysis of your bank account, bills,
credit cards, etc., to determine your spending and income for the
last six months.

A second option is to purchase personal finance software like
Quicken
or Moneydance. These are
relatively cheap (less than $40.00), support on-line banking and
bill payment, and help manage your budget. These programs require
less input then a spreadsheet template, but will require some input
and analysis by you.

The third option is sign up for free internet based software
vendors such as mint.com, intuit.com (free Quicken on-line), or yodlee.com, that
provide personal budget programs. These sites will do a complete
analysis of your spending and income, help you set spending and
saving goals, track how you are doing, and help find ways to save
more money. For example, mint.com will suggest where you can
improve on interest rates on loans and credit cards, help you
prepare for tax season, and will provide helpful advice on how to
achieve your goals.

A word of caution: to effectively use the on-line service
providers you will need to provide them some access to your
financial information so look at technology reviews, user
agreements, and exercise caution about the security used by the
site to ensure that site is keeping your information as safe as
possible.

For more helpful tips, join the MBA's Law Practice Management
Section. Call MBA Member Services at (617) 338-0530 to join.
To learn more about the Law Practice Management Section,
contact Co-Chairs Andrea Goldman or Rodney Dowell.

News from the Courts

Massachusetts Appeals Court
to hold sitting in Pittsfield

A panel of three associate justices of the Massachusetts Appeals
Court will hear oral arguments in five appeals in a special session
to be held on the campus of Berkshire Community College, 1350 West
St., Pittsfield. The Pittsfield sitting will be held on Monday,
Sept. 21 at 9:30 a.m. and is part of the Appeals Court's continuing
outreach to communities outside Boston, where the court generally
holds its sittings. It also coincides with Berkshire Community
College's 50th Anniversary Celebration. The session is open to the
public. Teachers and students from local area high schools and
members of the college's community, including the local chapter of
the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, are expected to attend.

Oral arguments for each case take approximately 30 minutes.
Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. The SJC rule for
cameras in the courtroom will apply.

Immediately following the session, the justices, Hon. Joseph
Trainor, Hon. Kent Smith and Hon. Ariane Vuono will conduct an
informal question and answer period for the students on general
topics related to their roles and the role of an intermediate
appellate court. (Pending matters will not be discussed.)

Chief Judge Sandra Lynch of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the
First Circuit has announced the formation of a Bankruptcy Merit
Selection Panel to screen and review the qualifications of
applicants for a bankruptcy judge position for the U.S. District
Court for the District of Massachusetts, headquartered in
Worcester. The successful candidate will fill the vacancy created
by the retirement of the Hon. Joel B. Rosenthal, who has served as
the bankruptcy judge in Worcester since 2000.

Under the statute providing for the appointment of bankruptcy
judges, the courts of appeals, assisted by the circuit councils,
have the duty of filling vacancies on the bankruptcy court in each
circuit (28 U.S.C. § 152). The Merit Selection Panel will recommend
to the First Circuit Judicial Council individuals whose character,
experience and commitment to equal justice under the law fully
qualify them to serve as U.S. bankruptcy judges. The Judicial
Council will make recommendations to the First Circuit Court of
Appeals, which will make the appointment.

Bankruptcy judges are appointed to 14-year terms by the Court of
Appeals.

CASEMAKER WEBINARS

Want to learn more about the capabilities of Casemaker 2.1
straight from the source? Attend a complimentary Web training
session to review the enhancements and new functionality of
Casemaker 2.1 from the comfort of your home or office.

NOTE: You must
log into Casemaker to register for these Webinars.
Space is limited. Click here to reserve your place at a
Webinar.

Tuesday, Sept. 15, 11 a.m.

Tuesday, Sept. 29, 11 a.m.

Lawyers Weakly Basketball League kicks off next week

Interested in joining the league or forming a team?

The Lawyers Weakly Basketball League will begin its 2009-10
fall session on Thursday, Sept. 17 and the winter session on
Wednesday, Dec. 2. The league will play every Wednesday night in
Boston starting at 7 p.m. If your firm is interested in putting a
team in, or if you wish to play on a free agent team or form your
own team, contact Ira Fleishman at (781) 925-8775 or [e-mail nrs].

National Conference for the Minority Lawyer

The MBA is proud to co-sponsor the National Conference for the
Minority Lawyer, along with the ABA's Business Law Section, Section
of Litigation and the Commission on Ethnic and Racial Diversity in
the Profession Thursday, Sept, 24 - Friday, Sept. 25 at the Hotel
Sofitel, 120 S. 17th St., Philadelphia, Penn.

Meet and network with lawyers from diverse backgrounds and
practice settings to improve your legal skills and learn how to
manage professional challenges unique to minority lawyers. You will
hear from nationally recognized speakers, enjoy two complimentary
lunches, attend the networking reception and participate in
interactive workshops. Conference highlights include: